Facebook has updates its Messenger app with a new Live Location feature

Facebook has updated its Messenger app with a new Live Location feature following Google Maps .This feature that lets the user share real-time location on a map for an hour within a private direct or group message thread.

The update, available for Android and iOS can come in handy when someone needs to know where you are or how much longer you’ll take to arrive at a destination (ETA).

“Live Location is super helpful when trying to coordinate with friends, telling people how close you are when you’re on your way to an appointment or even sharing where you are with your roommate when you’re on your way home at night,” wrote the feature’s product manager Selena Wang.

The location sharing feature was previously available within the Messenger application as well.But automatically sharing the same with your friends and family without consent landed up into privacy issues in 2015.In response to this Facebook then replaced automatic sharing with static, pointer-based location sharing and is now taking the next step with live sharing.

This time, though, you can’t leave it on by default. Head of Messenger David Marcus posted that “Many of us make plans on Messenger that involve finding each other, or letting friends and loved ones know we’re on the way. Sharing your location will also help some of you feel safer on the way home.”

With its humongous network and user base, Facebook is now putting all its resources to make Messenger as a default communication tool. This new feature comes after the recent introduction of Messenger Day, which can be said as Facebook’s version of Snapchat stories.